EIDETIC (October 31st)

In the park, huge maple leaves costume
the path, like painted hands of clowns
severed as punishment in a palm reader's
nightmare. Such justice amplifies
our fortune. I love the great buffoonery
of autumn, its red and yellow
rockets. My eyes mask the insatiable
laughter of the trees.

Robert Ward's work has appeared in numerous magazines and journals in the U.S. and Canada. He lives in Bellevue, where he specializes in antique photographica as a profession.